Harrys: a good shave isn’t just for the boys

Ok ladies, it's time for a little real talk. It's hard to be a girl. We have to put up with a ton of sh*t guys don't.

For example, the 'pink tax.' If you're not familiar, the pink tax is basically the idea that products which are made for / marketed to women (for example, self care products) oftentimes cost more than the same product when marketed to men. The name "pink tax' comes from the fact that the items marketed toward women and sold at a higher price are often pink.

I'm not here to get political, I'm just here to offer a solution: buy the men's product. It seriously isn't very different, it works just as well (sometimes better) and it costs less. If you're like me, that idea seemed silly at first. One reason is because I really love pink, cute things. Another reason is because the marketing really works.

I constantly catch myself watching a commercial and subtly thinking that if I just had that product, I'd be more beautiful, more confident, or have a better life.

The commercial for women sells you on a lifestyle: one of beauty, friends and adventure. It tells you that this is a choice you have: you can just shave and be normal, or you can 'choose to smooth' and live a glamorous and adventurous life. Not to mention, the razor in the commercial was shaving a hairless leg. Trying to sell me a razor, but dont want to show how it actually would work to give me a smooth shave?

The men's commercial shows you some of the elements of the razor itself and then flashes to a regular guy shaving in his bathroom. Way more cut-and-dry as far as showing you what the razor does. (If you want to dive a little deeper into the different ways men & women are advertised to, this article illustrates it well, this article and this article have some good info.)

I'm on my phone 24/7, advertisers can have a field day with me.

For real though. From the social apps I check more than once daily, to surfing the web. And it works. I'm constantly finding myself about to add a product to my Amazon cart after seeing an ad, and I've had to start checking myself, "Do I really want this product, or do I want the lifestyle the ad told me comes with it?"

Why does this matter?

As women, we are constantly battling insecurities. It's so easy to get sucked into the comparison game and feel inadequate when you look at those around you on social media and real life.

You might think ads don't affect you, but the truth is they are all around us all the time telling us we need to do X to be better, prettier, skinnier, or buy _____ product to make us more beautiful and help us achieve the life we dream of.

That constant message of insufficiency and inadequacy can wear on you. It's important to be able to look at ad in the face, understand what it's trying to sell you on - other than the product - and be able to think critically and not be swayed by the message that if you just had _______, your life would be better.

HARRY'S

So, if you can't tell from these photos, I've recently changed up my razor game. I had been using venus for a few years because I had been sold on the idea that I needed this special pretty purple razor for my special lady curves. Turns out, Harry's razors work just as good, if not better and are WAY cheaper.

Yes, the razors are marketed toward men. Yes, they come in orange, blue, and green. Surprisingly, the color of the razor has little affect on the hair removal process.

And if you don't like blue, orange, or green, you can go for the shave set Harry's sent me with a chrome handle that is sleek or this copper one. It's not just a pink tax thing, its also a big razor thing. If you want to see what I mean, just watch this video about how Harry's is changing shaving.

How do you feel about the pink tax? Do you think ads made for women wear on your self confidence? Ready to try Harry's? Leave a comment below, or use #NSBbeauty

P.S. The shave set from Harry's was gifted + this post contains affiliate links.